Guides to federal contract award data

• How to Look Up a Federal Contract AwardTo look up a federal contract award, start from what you already know — a company name, a CAGE code, a UEI, an award identifier (PIID), an agency, or an industry code (NAICS/PSC) — search for it, open the matching profile, read the key facts, and then confirm the figures against the official source record on USAspending.gov.6 min read
• How to Verify a Government ContractorTo verify a government contractor, match the business to a Unique Entity ID (UEI) and, where available, a CAGE code, review its public federal award history, and confirm the entity's registration and award records in the official systems — SAM.gov for registration and USAspending.gov for awards.7 min read
• What Is a UEI (Unique Entity ID)?A Unique Entity ID (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric identifier assigned in SAM.gov to entities that do business with the U.S. federal government. It replaced the DUNS number as the government's primary way to identify a specific entity across procurement and award systems.5 min read
• What Is a PIID (Procurement Instrument Identifier)?A PIID (Procurement Instrument Identifier) is the identifier assigned to a specific federal contract action. It identifies the contract or order itself — not the company — and appears on award records in systems such as USAspending.gov and FPDS.5 min read
• What Is a PSC Code (Product and Service Code)?A Product and Service Code (PSC) describes what the government actually bought under a contract — a product, a service, or research and development. Each award carries a four-character PSC, and the first characters indicate a broad category.5 min read
• What Is a NAICS Code in Federal Contracting?A NAICS code classifies the industry associated with a federal contract. The North American Industry Classification System uses up to six digits, with more digits meaning a more specific industry. In federal contracting, each award carries a NAICS code describing the type of work.5 min read
• How to Read a USAspending Award RecordA USAspending award record describes one federal contract action: who received it, which agency awarded it, the obligated and potential dollar amounts, the action and performance dates, the NAICS and PSC classifications, and where the work is performed. Reading it well means knowing what each field does and does not tell you.7 min read
• How to Find Which Companies Won Federal ContractsTo find which companies won federal contracts, browse by the dimension you care about: by awarding agency to see an agency's vendors, by NAICS to see an industry's contractors, by PSC to see suppliers of a product or service, or by the contractor index to scan companies directly — then open each profile to review the award history.6 min read
• How to Check Federal Contract Award AmountsTo check a federal contract award amount, distinguish the obligated amount (committed so far) from the current value and the potential value (the ceiling if all options are exercised). The potential value is a maximum, not actual spending — so always read all three figures and confirm them at the official source.5 min read
• SAM.gov vs USAspending: What Each Source Is ForSAM.gov is the official system where entities register to do business with the government and receive a UEI — it is authoritative for registration and entity identity. USAspending.gov is the official open-data source for federal award and spending records — it is the place to research awards. Use SAM.gov for 'who is this entity?' and USAspending for 'what was awarded?'.5 min read
• How Lenders and Insurers Use Public Federal Award DataLenders and insurers can use public federal award data to add context to a borrower or applicant: confirming a UEI, reviewing the size and recency of award activity, and understanding agency and industry concentration. Public data is a context layer, not a credit decision or an official financial statement, and should be confirmed at the source.6 min read
• How Subcontractors Can Research Prime Contract AwardsSubcontractors can use public federal award data to find prime contractors worth approaching: search by the agencies, industries (NAICS), and product/service codes (PSC) you support, identify the primes winning that work, study their award patterns, and use that intelligence to target teaming conversations — while confirming specifics at the official source.8 min read
• How to Use Public Procurement Data ResponsiblyUse public procurement data responsibly by understanding what it is (a summarized, sometimes-lagging copy of official records), citing and confirming at the official source, comparing like with like, and avoiding conclusions the data cannot support — such as treating a ceiling as actual spending or a missing field as wrongdoing.5 min read

GovAwardData.com is an independent public-data directory. It is not owned, operated, endorsed by, or affiliated with the U.S. government. Always verify critical procurement decisions with official government systems.